Coming off an eight-match winning streak, Juventus have somehow found their way back into title contention, albeit as outsiders, setting the stage for a big Scudetto showdown on Friday against runaway leaders Napoli on their own turf. at the San Paolo Stadium.
Following last week’s defeat at the Giuseppe Meazza, the Partenopei lost their aura of invincibility, but quickly bounced back with a comfortable win over Sampdoria at the weekend, preserving a seven-point gap between them and the Bianconeri.
Juve therefore cannot afford a defeat at the Estadio Maradona if they are to keep pace with the leaders, so Max Allegri will have to find the right recipe to tame the southerners.
While Luciano Spalletti possesses a squad packed with formidable talent, three players have stood out above the rest over the course of the season, and it would be imperative for the Bianconeri to limit their danger.
So let’s take a closer look at Napoli’s three most dangerous players and possible means of quashing their threat on Friday.
Stanislav Lobotka
Almost out of nowhere, Stanislav Lobotka has suddenly announced himself as one of the best depth playmakers in Serie A, which is a remarkable achievement considering his initial struggles in southern Italy.
The Slovak is excellent when it comes to maintaining possession and can easily deflect his opponents, creating space in the process, only to shift play to the wings and allow his teammates to launch biting attacks.
Therefore, Juventus must not fall for their traps by having the midfielders break through the line as they chase the 28-year-old into the Napoli areas. Instead, it might be smarter to have both forwards (or possibly Ángel Di María if acting as attacking midfielder) to mark Lobotka and try to prevent him from receiving the ball in the first place, keeping our midfield line in place. .
Kvicha Kvaratskelia
Luckily for the old lady, we have yet to see the best version of the Georgian sensation following her return from injury. But as the cliché says: the class is permanent.
The 21-year-old is simply a cheat code of a left winger, with devastating pace and an effortless ability to dribble past opponents before scooping up a teammate or going on goal himself.
At the moment, Juventus are adopting a 3-5-2 formation, which should come in handy this time around. While Danilo will definitely have his hands full with the youngster, he should be able to rely on the right-back to help him with his daunting mission.
So Weston McKennie could be the best candidate for the unsavory job, while Federico Chiesa could burst onto the pitch as a second-half super substitute once Kvara’s energy levels start to drop.
Victor Osimhen
In Victor Osimhen, Napoli arguably possesses the most explosive striker in Italian football. The Nigerian runs towards defenses with unparalleled ferocity. In addition, he has an extraordinary ability to get to the ball before his marker.
Obviously, an epic battle with Gleison Bremer will ensue, but Juventus cannot assign the Brazilian the task of shutting down the Nigerian on his own, as the latter will eventually manage to miss his score on one or two occasions.
Instead, Allegri needs to install a system that deprives the striker of space and prevents him from breaking into the box at will. Isolating him from the rest of his teammates would be the ideal scenario for Juventus.
In this sense, Manuel Locatelli will have an important role to play, since he and the rest of the midfield squad will have to duck at times and tighten the defensive lines, preventing Osimhen from operating in the gap, which is where he normally hides. . before making sudden runs to the 18-yard box.
